Gryfice

Infobox Settlement
name = Gryfice

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image_shield = POL_Gryfice_COA_1.svg
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = bottom
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = POL
subdivision_type1 = Voivodeship
subdivision_name1 = West Pomeranian
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Gryfice County
subdivision_type3 = Gmina
subdivision_name3 = Gmina Gryfice
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Andrzej Wacław Szczygieł
established_title = City rights
established_date = 1262
area_total_km2 = 12.4
population_as_of = 2006
population_total = 16702
population_density_km2 = auto
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
latd = 53 | latm = 54 | lats = 53 | latNS = N | longd = 15 | longm = 11 | longs = 55 | longEW = E
postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code = 72-300
blank_name = Car plates
blank_info = ZGY
website = http://www.urzad.gryfice.eu/

Gryfice [IPA-pl|g|r|y|'|f|i|c|e] (Kashubian: "Grëfice"; _de. Greifenberg) is a town in Pomerania, north-western Poland with 16 737 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of Gryfice County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Szczecin Voivodeship (1975-1998).

History

In 1262, throughout the German Ostsiedlung, Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania founded a town of Lübeck law at the River Rega, to which he left 100 hooves of land. After the death of Wratislaw III the settlement was called “Griphenberch” (~ Griffinsmountain) after the coat of arms symbol of the Dukes of Pomerania. In 1365 the town entered the Hansa and prospered due to the right of free navigation on the Rega.

A town wall was built and in the end of 13th century the construction of the St. Mary’s church was begun. In a document of 1386 a latin school is mentioned, which is generally called the oldest in Pomerania. After the death of the last Pomeranian Duke and by the Treaty of Westphalia Greifenberg became part of Brandenburg-Prussia in 1648 and part of Imperial Germany in 1871. In 1818 the town became the capital of the Greifenberg district (Kreis Greifenberg). In 1894 the town was connected to the railway line Altdamm - Kolberg. On July 1, 1896 the Greifenberger Kleinbahn was opened, a narrow-gauge railway today used as a railway Museum.

At the end of World War II Soviet Red Army conquered the town, approximately 40 percent of the town was destroyed by a fire. Following the post-war boundary changes, Greifenberg was renamed "Gryfice" and became Polish. Its German population was expelled and the town was populated with Poles, many themselves expellees from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union.

Population

ImageSize = width:530 height:220PlotArea = left:70 right:40 top:20 bottom:20TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify Colors = id:gray1 value:gray(0.9)DateFormat = yyyyPeriod = from:0 till:18100ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2000 start:0 gridcolor:gray1PlotData = bar:1939 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:10817 width:15 text:10,8 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1946 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:4898 width:15 text:4,9 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1950 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:8737 width:15 text:8,7 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1955 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:10320 width:15 text:10,3 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1960 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:11548 width:15 text:11,6 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1965 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:12290 width:15 text:12,3 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1970 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:13175 width:15 text:13,2 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1975 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:13939 width:15 text:13,9 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1980 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:15239 width:15 text:15,3 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1985 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:16523 width:15 text:16,5 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1990 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:17593 width:15 text:17,6 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:1995 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:18078 width:15 text:18,1 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:2000 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:17244 width:15 text:17,3 textcolor:red fontsize:8px bar:2005 color:gray1 width:1 from:0 till:16850 width:15 text:16,9 textcolor:red fontsize:8px

Notable Residents

*Moriz Seeler (1896—1942), author and film producer
*Friedrich Heinrich Albert Wangerin (1844–1933), mathematician

Twin towns

*flagicon|Germany Güstrow
*flagicon|Germany Meldorf
*flagicon|Poland Gryfów Śląski

External links

* [http://www.gryfice.com.pl/ Official website _pl. ]
* [http://www.thorhauer-eisdorf.de/sm_polen/Gryfice/museum_gryfice.htm narrow-gauge railway museum _de. ]